N.J.’s Hot Spot Bergen County Sees Major Slowing of Virus Rates

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New Jersey’s Bergen County, which has had huge daily spikes and the most cases of Covid-19, has seen a major slowdown in infection increases, another big sign that the curve is flattening, Governor Phil Murphy said.

Bergen County, across the Hudson River from New York, has more than 8,000 cases and had seen infections double every couple of days during the worst of the outbreak. It’s now one of two counties where infections are doubling every seven days or more. Salem County in southern New Jersey which has the fewest cases, is the other.

“Those are two important early signs,” Murphy said Friday at a press briefing.

New Jersey, which trails New York with the second-highest number of U.S. infections, reported cases rose 7% overnight to 54,588. This is the sixth day that increases have been 10% or less, after statewide spikes of as much as 56% toward the end of March.

The state reported an additional 233 fatalities, for a cumulative total of 1,932.

Murphy and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo have urged residents to continue staying indoors and avoiding gathering, particularly during the long Easter and Passover holiday weekend, as the outbreak appears to be nearing its peak.

“We have to leave the gathering to Facetime or Zoom,” Murphy said. “Many of us will fire up our laptop for a livestream service.”

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